Reed Webinar Series: From emotional states to emotional precision: Cultivating emotional granularity and meaning making in schools and families using The Emps

The Emps are emotion characters designed to translate psychological theory into a shared, accessible language that supports children and adults to understand, explore, and respond to emotions.

Drawing on narrative therapy, ACT, mindfulness, emotion coaching and social‑emotional learning, The Emps are a flexible, psychologically grounded framework that can be applied across universal, targeted, and individual work.

In this CPD we will explore how schools understand and respond to children’s emotions more deeply, moving beyond regulation tools toward richer more nuanced emotional meaning‑making.

The session will discuss the Emp Gap: the space between noticing an emotional state and truly understanding it. It will explore how The Emps as a tool and a framework bridge this gap by translating established psychological approaches into accessible, relational practice that strengthens emotional language, meaning‑making, and co‑regulation.

The session will cover how the Emps are currently being used in schools talking through the resources currently available and giving practical real life examples at a 1-1, small group and whole school level.

The session will also consider how The Emps can enhance the school–home connection, offering parents simple, non-judgmental ways to talk about emotions and build shared understanding.

Takeaways

A coherent framework for applying psychological theory through The Emps
A deeper, more critical perspective on regulation‑focused approaches.
Practical strategies for using The Emps in consultation, formulation, and systemic work
Approaches to strengthen emotional language and co‑constructed understanding across schools and with parents
Insight into how The Emps are currently being used in schools, with ideas for how EPs can build on and extend this work in consultation and systemic practice.